When the Wind Blows
by CrypticMoonFang
Summary: Serena lives with her abusive boyfriend. Then Darien finds out...
1. Chapter 1

-Chapter 1-

** Epilogue**

He abuses her. He treats her like dirt. He almost never lets her out of his sights. He makes her deal with him every single day.

This is Serena's story. It's about how she was consistently abused by her boyfriend. His name was Seiya. He was always there. Whenever the wind blew...

* * *

"I-I'm so sorry... It won't happen again." Serena lifted her hand to touch the bruise on her face. After this, she went to the arcade, the one place she was allowed to be alone. But... Then she'd have to face Darien. She'd much rather him be her boyfriend than Seiya. But she didn't have a choice in the matter. Seiya would never let her leave... And besides, she was too scared to leave. She'd tried once already and he'd hunted her down and she got the beating of a lifetime. Actually, if she was ever able to leave, she'd _never_ date again. With good reason behind it, too. Seiya was evil. Anything and anyone could make him snap at anytime. And when he snapped, there was no telling what would happen because he usually took out his anger on her.

"Well, next time, I want you to listen! I specifically said I wanted eggs _without_ toast!" Seiya angrily yelled. "Worthless girl! What don't you understand about 'without'?!"

"I said I'm sorry! It'll never happen again! I promise!"

"Then I'll hold you to that promise! Now, go to the arcade!"

"Y-Yes, Seiya! Right away!"

Serena rushed out the door in an attempt to avoid being hit again. She always had bruises, so it was no shocker to see a brown, black, blue, or purple mark on her cheek or face or anywhere, for that matter. Serena knew for a fact that her friends worried about this, but she just smiled and passed it off as her being a klutz and tripping on hard concrete.

Her friends knew better than to believe this, though. They all knew she was clumsy, but there were far too many bruises for her to have fallen that many times.

Serena finally reached her sanctuary. Seiya hated arcades, so he never went inside one. This special place was the one place she could be safe from him. Her home was no longer available. She'd been forced to live with him for the past few months.

She walked in with a smile on her face. It wasn't a matter of being happy, it was solely a matter of fooling everyone else in the arcade that she was fine. But in fact, she wasn't. She needed help to get out of Seiya's grip. And the bad part was, she knew it. She was just way too afraid to admit it.

"Oh, hey, Serena! Did you trip again? That looks like a pretty nasty bruise." Andrew said. He, too, was concerned. He knew her too well to believe her lies about how she fell on steps or sidewalks or whatever else she could come up with.

"Oh! Um, it's nothing! I just fell and hit a building, that's all!" she answered.

"Okay, then. Whatever you say." Andrew worridly said.

Serena turned to go sit at her normal booth. All her friends were waiting for her.

"Hey, guys! I'm sorry I'm late! You see, I tripped and hit-"

"No!" Lita sternly shouted.

"Huh?"

"I said, 'No!'" she repeated.

"No... No what?"

"We aren't going to believe you anymore. We weren't born yesterday! We know something's up, Serena! You've just been hiding it."

"Yeah. We all know you're a klutz, but not even you can possibly fall every day! And you wouldn't hit yourself hard enough to create a bruise!" Amy agreed.

"If something's wrong, you need to tell us what it is! We can help!" Mina chimed.

"Yeah, meatball-head. Where'd you get that bruise from? And don't tell us you tripped." Rei demanded.

"..." Serena was speechless by everyone's outburst.

"Well? We're waiting." Lita pressed.

"...Do... Do you promise not to tell anyone else?"

"Sure, fine! Just tell us already!"

"I got it... From... Seiya..." she said after a few minutes of silence. She felt scared but relieved that she finally told someone.

After a few seconds it sunk in and the girls realized what their friend was talking about. "S-Seiya? You mean your boyfriend?"

Serena nodded her head, wondering what they'd think of her now that they knew her little secret.

"But... He seemed so nice." Amy timidly wondered aloud.

Serena looked down, trying to keep her tears at bay.

"Well, if he hits you, why don't you leave him?" Rei boldly asked.

Andrew could hear muttering coming from their table, but couldn't exactly understand what they were saying.

"Because... I can't. I've tried once, but..."

Lita pulled Serena into the woman's bathroom. The rest of the group followed, not knowing what Lita was up to.

"When they got far enough in there and they made sure no one else was in there or listening to them, Lita clarified what she was doing, "If he hit you once, I know he did it again!"

"Well... He might've... But he didn't really hit me that much."

"Where else did he hit you?!" Amy said, obviously concerned for her friend's health.

"Nowhere! It's nothing, really!" She should've expected them to act like this...

"Why do you feel like you have to lie to us all the time?!" Mina pushed.

Should've known she couldn't get anything past Mina... She sighed.

"Alright. I'll show you..." Serena turned around and lifted up the back of her shirt.

Everyone gasped in horror.

In the middle of her back was a huge, blue bruise. It looked like he'd hit her severely enough to break her back.

"How could he do this to you?!" Rei furiously yelled.

"I-I... He shoved me against a wall, okay?" She said as she put her shirt back down.

"And you're_ living_ with this guy?!"

"Yes..."she answered quietly.

"Why didn't you tell us?!"

"I was scared..."


	2. Chapter 2

-Chapter 2-

"Scared? But it's so simple! You just walk out the door, never to come back!" Amy suggested.

"You don't know Seiya like I do... He'll track me down! I _can't_ go anywhere! Don't you think I'd have tried that by now?!"

Everyone's eyes softened as they watched Serena cry.

"What else will you do though?" Mina asked in a calm but still sympathetic voice.

"Guys... You have to help me! I can't do this without you! Please! I'm begging you!" she said in a cracked voice.

"We'll help any way we can, but first... I know he hit you more than this. For getting a new bruise every day? Nope, this is way too little. You show us _everywhere_ he hit you!" Lita demanded in a very stern voice. She wasn't being mean, she just cared too much about Serena to let this go on.

"I, uh... I don't know. You guys freaked over the last bruise I showed you."

"Serena..." Rei warned.

"Okay!" Serena clearly didn't want to get into an argument with her best friends.

They all watched Serena lift up her exceptionally long skirt. It went all the way down to her ankles.

Serena shut her eyes as she heard a series of yelps and gasps.

They all saw her legs spotted with bruises. Some small, some big. They ranged from brown to purple.

"Doesn't it hurt to walk?!" Amy shrieked.

"A little." Serena replied.

"Why does he do this?!"

"_How_ could he do this to you?!"

"I don't know. One of them was because I made him eggs _with_ toast. He said he wanted them _without_ toast."

"Which bruise was that from?"

"The one on my cheek."

"I... Have a question, too." Amy started. "Why didn't you just transform into Sailor Moon? You could've gotten out of there. Then none of this would've happened and you'd be fine right now."

"He... He took my broach and wouldn't let me have it back... But he doesn't know my identity."

"Anywhere else? Did he hit you anywhere else?" Mina asked.

Serena didn't answer, but looked down instead.

Andrew was right outside the door, listening in on the last few sentences. He'd seen the group go into the bathroom, but when they didn't come back out after awhile, he got worried. Then he heard a series of gasps and yelps. That was when he decided to take some action and listened in. So far, he'd only heard, "He... He took my broach and wouldn't let me have it back." and of course, he'd heard everything after that, too.

"There... There _is_ more! Show us, Serena!" Lita once more demanded.

Serena lifted up the front of her shirt a little bit.

At first, the girls thought it was just a shadow. Serena hadn't lifted up her shirt enough to show them what it really was.

Amy was the first to realize it.

Before she knew it, Serena's shirt was yanked up to reveal a black bruise that stretched across Serena's belly.

"EEEKKK!!!"

"What'd he do this time? Hit you with a freaking billboard?!"

"No. It was a chair." she answered quietly.

"Serena! You just can't live with an abusive boyfriend! And on top of that, guys aren't supposed to hit girls anyway! He isn't even supposed to _touch_ you!"

"I-I already told you... I've tried to get away before..."

"What happened when he found you?" Mina boldly asked.

"Well..." Serena sighed. She didn't want to relive that painful night. She decided it was once more best to just go on and show them. They'd find out, anyway.

They watched Serena pull up her long sleeves. What they saw was horrifying.

Huge, enormous bruises covered her entire arms. Worse than her legs, cheek, back, and stomach all put together. It actually looked like he'd _painted_ her arms. That was just how bad it was.

"My GOD, Serena... You look like the night sky!"

"Is this really what happened when he caught you?"

"Uh-huh." she answered. She really hated this. She wasn't looking for sympathy, just for help.

Andrew was still listening. 'So... That's where the bruises _really_ came from? An abusive boyfriend?! Come to think of it... Serena's been getting a new bruise every day. I wonder if this guy's bipolar?' he thought.

Andrew heard the bell above the arcade's door ring. He pretty much knew who it was. Darien. Who else came in at the wrong time?

"Hey, Darien! Um... Listen to me for a second, okay?"

"Yeah, sure. What's all this about?" Darien answered.

"I-It's about Serena."

"Why? What'd the meatball-head trip on this time?"

"No, no! Please don't ever give her a hard time again, okay? Go easy on her. Especially today."

"Again, why?"

"Well, she's been having problems with her boyfriend lately."

"So? Why's that my problem?"

"Darien! I'm serious! They aren't your normal problems, okay? She's in the bathroom. When she gets out, don't call her names and stuff. Be _extremely_ nice to her."

"But, uh... Would it seem normal for me to be nice to her? Wouldn't she like, suspect something?"

"Eh... Good point. But still, she's had a really rough day. Just be kind for once, 'kay?"

"...I still don't know what this is all about, but... Fine."

"Oh! Thanks, Darien!"


	3. Chapter 3

-Chapter 3-

Serena walked out of the bathroom a mess. It was so obvious she'd been crying. Her four friends, Amy, Rei, Lita, and Mina, followed close behind. It looked like they were protecting her from something.

"Hey, Serena. What's up?" Darien called to her.

"Hm?" Serena turned to see who it was. Darien. "Wha-? D-Did you just call me... Serena? No meatball-head comment?"

"Yeah. I'm not feeling up-to-it today."

"Oh. That the only reason?"

"Yep."

"Oh..."

Serena made her way over to the counter. It also happened to be where Darien was sitting. "One, uh... Milkshake."

"Vanilla, strawberry, or chocolate?" Andrew asked.

"Chocolate." Serena laid her head on the counter. What a day this had been...

Serena's friends went back to their booth, clearly mad about something.

"Where'd the new bruise come from?" Darien dared to ask.

"I tripped and hit a building." she replied.

"Wow. You sure are a klutz lately..."

"Sorry. It won't happen again." she said respectfully. She remembered that Seiya told her _anyone_ was better than her, so he didn't want her being disrespectful, especially to Darien, anymore.

"What was that?" Darien meant to sound curious, but Serena took it the wrong way. She quickly got up and bowed, saying, "I'm _really_ sorry! Really, really, really sorry! Please forgive me!"

"F-Forgive you? For what?"

"Everything! I'm really sorry for being disrespectful to you all those times!" she hastened to say.

"Where's this coming from?! You never _did_ anything!" Now Darien was a little concerned. Had this been what Andrew meant when he said, 'not normal problems'? Because this definitely wasn't the Serena he knew! "Why are you acting like this?"

"I-I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to!" She was crying again. Oh, she hated being nice to him. But she knew good and well what would happen to her if she wasn't. That was why she was crying.

"Would you stop apologiz- wait... Why are you crying? Did I do something?"

"No! No, not at all! I'll stop crying! I really will! Just give me a minute, please!"

Serena's friends were there in a split second. "What'd you do to her?!" Lita screamed.

"N-Nothing! I swear!"

"Yeah, right!" Rei pushed.

"Why are you so protective of her?! What'd I do!?" a very confused Darien asked quickly.

"He didn't do anything you guys! Promise!" Serena stepped in.

"Are you sure? 'Cause he usually teases you and stuff."

"Nope! He didn't tease me!" Serena put on her best smile.

"Fine." Amy conceded. Then, turning back to Darien, she said, "You'd better not do anything to upset her!"

"Yes, ma'am!" Wasn't Amy usually the timid one?! That settled it. Something was definitely wrong with Serena.

"Hey, uh... Serena?" he asked after the group had gone back to their booth.

"Yes, sir?"

"Is, uh... Something wrong? Andrew told me-MMMPH!!!!!!!" Darien's mouth was covered by Andrew's hand.

Serena's jaw dropped and chills went up her spine. Is it possible? Could he have known about her abuse?! She checked her watch. "OH NOOO!!!!" then she ran out the door towards Seiya's house. She'd stayed way too long at the arcade. Seiya never allowed this!

But, just her luck...

_BAM!!!_

She ran straight into Seiya himself.

"Anyway, you can't tell anyone, but... The reason I was telling you to be extra nice to Serena is because she's living with her boyfriend." Andrew told Darien.

"So? A lot of girls live with their boyfriends, Andrew. It's no big deal."

"No, I don't think you understand! Didn't you find it suspicious of how she was actually _nice_ to you for once?"

"Well, yeah, but-"

"It's Seiya!"

"Huh? What about Seiya?"

"Geez, Darien! You're so naive! Seiya _abuses_ her."

"How do you know that? He's always such a gentleman! He doesn't have it in him to abuse her. Maybe you had a bad dream or something."

"It's wasn't a dream! I never actually saw it with my own eyes, but... I overheard the girls talking in the bathroom. They were shrieking over Serena's bruises."

"She said she fell or tripped and hit something."

"And you actually _believe_ that crap!? She was lying, Darien. Lord only _knows_ what Seiya would do to her if he found out she told someone. So you can't tell, okay?"

"Fine. But, I'm telling you. Seiya doesn't abuse anyone. He's a very kind guy. As a matter of fact, I haven't seen him so much as squish a fly. He'd let it go, saying, 'It's a life. It doesn't deserve to die. And I won't be the one to kill it.'"

They heard a yelp.

Outside the arcade, they saw what was happening through the windowed doors.

Serena was backing up, but still facing Seiya, obviously trying to explain something to him. But Seiya wasn't listening. He just kept heading towards her. Whenever she took a step back, he'd take a step forward.

"Hey, what's going on out there?" Darien muttered under his breath.

Then the scene went past the doors of the arcade, rendering Darien and Andrew both unable to see what was going on.


	4. Chapter 4

-Chapter 4-

"H-Hey, please! Seiya! I'm sure we can work this out! You know? Like normal couples?" Serena pleaded.

"Nothing to say, is there? You were late, and here I was kind enough to come get you!" Seiya answered in a frighteningly deep voice.

Rapidly, Seiya grabbed Serena by the neck and lifted her up into the air.

"Seiya... Stop this... Please..." Serena choked out.

"Why?" Seiya tightened his grip.

"Uck! P-P-Please... I don't want...to die!"

"Who says I'll kill you? You are_ completely_ worthless! I don't think you quite get that yet!"

"No...one...can ever...measure...up to you...Seiya... I can't...breathe!"

Seiya loosened his grip a little bit. But he still didn't let go of her neck.

Instinctively, Serena grabbed Seiya's wrist with her own two hands.

"HEY!!! What do you think you're doing! Put her down and leave her alone!" a heroic voice shouted at Seiya.

Seiya turned to see Darien. "Why should I?!" he shouted back.

"Do it!"

"Whatever!"

Serena was released from her grip that could've possibly killed her. She was thankful that she'd been released, but she was furious because now Seiya would be more liable to hurt her. She dropped to the ground, not bothering much to get up. You know, maybe if Seiya thought she was dead, he'd just go away! Yep! That was it! She could play possum! No... It'd never work...

Seiya walked off, expecting Serena to follow him.

But she couldn't. She hated Seiya's guts. But did she really have a choice? He literally _forced_ her to live with him. Didn't that _alone_ mean she really _was_ worthless?

A single teardrop fell onto the sidewalk. She_ was_ worthless. There was no more avoiding the inevitable.

If she could be treated like that, and then it was called 'okay' to do so, then she _must_ be worthless...

"Serena! Are you okay?" Darien ran up to her after he was sure Seiya wasn't coming back.

"I have to go after him! He's gonna _kill_ me if I'm late!" Serena got up and tried to run after Seiya, but Darien grabbed her arm and held her back.

"No, Serena! You aren't!"

Serena was left speechless. Why did Darien, of all people, care about worthless Serena?

"Anyone who treats you like that doesn't give a rat's rear end about you. And you should've told someone about this!"

"Like you'd care! Now let me go!"

"NO!!! You've been doing this for too long! You're going straight home! Right now!"

"...I can't... Seiya will find me and take me back..." Serena sobbed.

"...Seiya...will find you? Like a _stalker_?!"

"Yes!"

"..." Darien mulled the situation over in his head for a few minutes. "Then... Then you'll come with me!"

"No way! You're aweful!"

"REALLY, SERENA?! AM I MORE AWEFUL THAN MR. BEAT-YOU-UP-EVERY-SINGLE-DAY OVER THERE?!" Darien furiously pointed to the direction Seiya went.

"..." Serena was once more left speechless.

"I didn't think so. Now, you're sleeping with me! At least for this night!" Darien ordered.

It sounded like Darien was mad at _her_... And Seiya? Snubbed. But why would Darien be mad at her? Of course... All guys were alike, just as she'd suspected. Meaning...he was capable of hitting her, too.

Serena yanked her arm back. "You're just like him!" she frustratedly said.

Those words pierced Darien's heart like a knife. Did she really believe he'd hurt her?! That would be an absurd thought.

"Don't you _EVER_ compare me to Seiya again!" he growled.

Serena flinched as a response.

Then, realizing what was really going on, he hugged her. But she only struggled in return.

"No! No! No! I'm sorry! I won't do it again! I swear! I'll be good! I'll be good!"

"What are you talking about? I'm not going to hurt you..." he answered, realizing she was terrified of him.

'T-That's _exactly_ what Seiya said!!!' Serena thought.

Darien felt himself being shoved away. Then he saw Serena trying to run. _Again_.

'Did he really treat her this badly? He must've been one of those guys who thought of girls as possessions instead of people...' Darien thought.

The only reason Serena hadn't run off yet was because of Darien's hug, which by now was more of a grip.

Then Serena stood up and tried to drag Darien across the ground. Well, _trying_ wasn't really the right word... _Unintentionally doing so_ would be the right words. Poor girl was really only trying to get away. Not trying to hurt anyone.

"Why're you so scared of me?" Darien curiously asked her.

Serena hit him with both her fists at the same time. Over and over she did this, a desperate but futile attempt to get away.

Darien looked down at Serena. He felt horrible that she'd be scared of anyone. Innocent little Serena didn't ever do anything to deserve this kind of treatment. She should be treated like an angel, like royalty. Like anything other than something bad. And this was Darien thinking! He didn't even care that much for her. But...then he found out where all those bruises were coming from and a feeling of pure regret and grief formed in the pit of his stomach. But now she'd probably never date again, for fear of being hurt again. Didn't she realize not all men were like Seiya?


	5. Chapter 5

-Chapter 5-

"Hey! Serena! Aren't you coming?!" Seiya called out.

At hearing Seiya's voice, Serena struggled even more to get free. But freedom... It was the one thing she'd never have. Or at least, in her mind it wasn't.

Eventually Serena got free and prepared herself for what she knew was going to be a world of pain.

Darien knew if he were to chase her, she'd only run. She'd do the same thing and she'd trust him even less. So he reluctantly stayed put. He thought Seiya wasn't coming back, but... Looks like he thought wrong.

Serena ran off to explain to Seiya what held her back.

Seiya already knew she wanted to break up with him. But would he allow that? No.

At Seiya's house...

That night was the second worst night Serena had ever had. It was practically a guarantee she'd have more bruises tomorrow.

At Rei's temple...

All the Scouts were there. Well, everyone except Serena.

"Serena said she couldn't transform because she lost her broach to Seiya." Amy remembered.

"Don't even say his name! It's a disgrace to every girl out there that he even so much as exists!" Lita yelled at her.

"Which reminds me... We were strong _only_ for Serena. We didn't want her to cry. That was the only reason we didn't cry. But on the inside it killed us, right?" Rei said, already on the verge of tears.

"Yeah..." Mina agreed, not her usual cheery self.

"I wish I could transform. Then I could've helped Serena." Amy stated.

"WHAT?! You can't transform, either?! WHY?!" Rei panicked.

"I...lost my power stick in a fight. I tried my very hardest to find it, but... It just wasn't enough..." Amy sighed.

"But... I lost my power stick, too! I can't transform!" Rei said.

"WHAT?! I don't have my own power stick! Mina? Do you have yours? Please say you do!" Lita panicked.

"...I didn't lose mine in a fight like you guys did." Mina finally answered.

"Huh? But you still lost it... Where'd you lose it? I bet if one of us could transform we could help Serena!" Amy quibbled.

"Eheheh... Sorry, but...I don't really remember when I lost it! I just sort of found it gone one day and never really bothered looking for it. I figured Artemis had it." Mina gave them her best smile and pretended everything was okay.

Everyone else fell flat on their faces. "Ugh..."

"Mina!" Artemis came in at that moment.

"See? Nothing to worry about! Artemis has it covered!" Mina held out her hand, expecting her power stick to be placed in it.

"Next time you pack up for a sleepover-" Artemis started. "-be sure you take your underwear."

Mina's eyes popped out of her head and a sweat drop appeared on it. Artemis was holding a thong. He placed this item in Mina's hand.

"I was ridiculed by all the ally cats in the neighborhood! Keep up with your stuff next time, okay?" Artemis said as he departed.

"Okay, so I guess now we all know I lost mine, too." Mina stated the obvious.

DING-DONG! DING-DONG!

Rei's grandfather opened the door. "Why, hello!"

"Yes, hello! Is, uh... Is Rei here?"

"Well, of course! She lives here, after all! Ahahahaha!"

Rei's bedroom door opened. It was her Granpa.

"Oh, hi Granpa! What is it?" Rei asked.

"Oh! Hohoho! It's your friend!"

"My friend?"

"Yep! Sure is!"

"Okay, well let them in."

"Okay, Rei! Whatever you say! Oh! But before that, can I get you girls anything?"

"No Granpa! We're fine! Now let my friend in!"

"Okay, okay! Here she is."

Rei's Granpa moved over so a blonde-haired girl could come in.

"S-Serena?! What about Seiya?!"

"He said I could spend the night with you."

"Why? I mean, I'm happy he did, but why?"

"He knocked out a tooth." Serena, as though to prove it, opened her mouth to reveal a hole in her 'wall of teeth'.

"Wh-What?!" Lita shouted. "He did _what_ this time!!! I'm gonna kill him! I _swear_ I'm gonna kill him this time! He isn't getting away with it again!!! Not my friend! No _way_!"

Lita started to walk out, but was stopped by Serena.

"I told you already! You have to keep this secret! _Especially_ from Seiya! Whatever you do to him will come back on me _tenfold_! And if he finds out I told you..."

"But-"

"No buts! He. Can't. Know!" Serena clarified.

"Grrr... Fine... But if he hits you _one_ more time-"

"Uh-uh! You won't do anything! You promised me!" Serena whined.

"Does... Does he really hurt you_ that_ bad?" Lita whispered.

"Yes!" Serena hissed back.

"Then I won't do anything. But not for his sake! Just for yours!"

"Oh... Thanks, Lita!" Serena relievedly said.


	6. Chapter 6

-Chapter 6-

At Darien's apartment...

"I...had no idea about Serena... This is really what she's been dealing with? All this time..." Darien started to cry. He'd thought she'd klutzed out, but... It was so much more serious than that. And worse, he hadn't picked up on what everyone else had. The most vital sign of a cry for help. She was lying. The entire time and what did he do? He kept calling her names. He made her day just that much worse. Then? Then she'd have to face Seiya. If only he'd known... No, if only he'd _cared_, she might not have had to go through this every day.

Darien decided to call Andrew.

RING-RING-RING!!!! RING-RING-RING!!! RING-RING-RING!!!

Andrew never picked up.

"Crap." Darien thought out loud.

Darien sat on the couch, unable to get Serena's bruise out of his head. And even moreso... Serena said... Would she have new bruises tomorrow? Was Seiya really that violent?

The same scene kept replaying in his head. The one where Seiya was choking Serena. She could've _died_! How could he have done this to her? And then to crush her hopes of a happy life?! It enraged Darien.

Sadness, anger, guilt, and pain filled Darien's deep sapphire eyes. If anything, it should've been _him_. Not innocent little Serena! And 'little' was no exaggeration. Serena was around five feet tall. On top of that, she had a fairly small figure. Her body could only take so many blows.

The very next day...

Serena woke up before the rest of the girls. New record, right? Most certainly not. Seiya himself had made sure Serena got it through her head that she had to be up and about on time.

She was wearing a tank top and some shorts. This was only due to the reason that she hadn't been allowed to wear anything short in a long time. How long was it again? Three months? Hm... Not like she was counting. She had let go of hope a long, long time ago.

Serena yawned as she watched the other girls slowly drag themselves out of bed, one by one.

"Oh, hey, Serena. Good morning." Rei was the first up and was the first to completely regain full consciousness.

"Yeah..." Mina yawned. "G-G-Good m-m-orning..." She found it hard to speak with your mouth wide open.

Lita stretched and said, "Good morning, Serena. Have a good night's sleep?"

"Yep, I did. Thanks for letting me stay over at your place, Rei."

"No problem. But you owe me one. Don't go back to Seiya's." Rei answered.

"Um... Rei, you know what'll happen to me if I don't show up." Serena quietly said.

They all looked over at Amy.

"Is she dead?" Mina mocked.

"I think so. No, wait! She's still breathing!" Lita answered.

"What a relief!" Rei said.

"I wonder why she's still asleep... It's not like her." Lita semi-asked.

"Well, she was up late last night. Poor girl probably needs sleep." Rei indicated.

"She was up late? Why?" Serena asked.

"Well, you were one of the first to go to sleep, so... Well, no. Make that _the_ first to go to sleep. But we were all worried about you and Amy started to cry. I'm just guessing that was why she was up so late. I think we should let her get some r and r."

"You don't need to be worried about me! I'm fine! Really!"

"Oh, please, Serena! You live with an abusive boyfriend! It's not going to be easy to lie your way out of that one."

"Yeah... Sorry."

"And stop apologizing! It's not like you did anything wrong! I _know_ you didn't do anything to deserve dealing with _Seiya_."

"I told you last night not to say his name!" Lita remembered.

"Oh, yeah... We all thought you were just mad at the time, but I guess not." Rei said.

Lita went outside to get a stick.

Then, when she came back in, her eyes turned to little minus signs and she kept poking Amy with her stick. A sweatdrop ran down her face. "She, uh... Isn't waking up..."

Rei and Serena came over to Amy and started poking her with their fingers. "Hm..."

Mina eventually joined in.

"I think she really is dead."

"Maybe she's in a coma."

"Is she usually a deep sleeper?"

"I don't think so..."

"Then why isn't she waking up?"

"Beats me."

"Me too."

"Me three."

"Hello? Amy, you in there?"

"Amy! Amy! Come in Amy!"

Finally,Amy began to arouse. At long last. "Mmmmm..."

"Eh... That groan kind of makes me wonder what she's dreaming about."

"Yeah, I know. It's _almost_ creepy."

Amy opened her eyes and looked around before actually pulling herself up.

"Were you dreaming, Amy?"

"Yeah. You were groaning in your sleep."

"I was? Oh! Well... I wasn't dreaming about anything in particular! I just dreamt I had an exam and got a 99 on it."

Sweat drops ran down their heads. "N-Ninety-nine? Oh, how horrible of a grade that is, Amy..."

"I know it's not to you guys-"

"Yeah, no kidding! You know how much I'd give to get grades like that just once?" Serena interrupted.

"But I want to get into the best colleges, so..."

"Omigod! Omigod! Omigod!!!!" Serena panicked after checking her watch. "T-This is the second time this week! Moreso, it's the second time in two days! I'm dead! I'm totally dead when I get back!!!"

She hastened to put on her clothes.

"D-Dead...?" Mina thought aloud.

"Oh, sorry. It's an exaggeration, but... I'm gonna be hurting, that's for sure..." she muttered. Then she dashed out the door.

At Seiya's apartment...

DING-DONGDING-DONGDING-DONG!!!!!!!

Seiya opened the door, knowing well who it was.

Serena walked in rather slowly.

"You're late." he said deeply.

"I'm very sorry... I didn't mean to be..."

"Do your friends know?"

"O-Of course not, Seiya! I'd never betray your love for me!" she almost cried when she said 'love'. If only he did love her...

Seiya closed the door slowly. Quietly.

"You know what happens when you're late."

"Yes, Seiya..."

"Are you ready, then?"

"Um... First, though... I would, um... I'd like to know something!"

"Oh? What would you possibly want to know?"

"Uhm... I-I want to know...why you... h-h-h-"

"Spit it out!"

"Hurt me!"

"Hurt you? You think that what I'm doing is _hurting_ you? Of course I'm not!"

"H-Huh?"

"This is what happens when you date someone, worthless girl. You of all people should know that. Love hurts sometimes."

"Love isn't supposed to hurt!" Serena, realizing what she'd just done, immediately put both hands over her mouth and her eyes widened to bug-eyed proportions.

Seiya shoved her against one of the walls. "Insolent wench!!! You think you have any right to say that to a _man_?!"

Then he punched her in the gut.

She dropped to the ground, gasping for air after having the wind knocked out of her. "Puh-Please! Don't do this anymore!"

Seiya kicked her in the same place he hit her. Her gut.

"AHH!!!" she yelled out.

"Now you're backtalking me?!?!?! How _dare_ you! Perhaps I should teach you a lesson, you little worthless brat!"

Seiya continued kicking her until she began to cough up blood.

"_NOW_ YOU GET _BLOOD_ ALL OVER MY _CARPET_?!?!?!"


	7. Chapter 7

-Chapter 7-

She had to clear her throat of blood before she could speak again. "I can't help it..."

"YES! YOU _CAN_!!! And after we're done, you can clean up every last drop of it. Okay?"

"Wh-What do you mean 'after we're done'?" she managed.

"I'll show you."

Seiya picked her up by the hair and pushed her, once again, into the wall. The force of the impact actually caused the wall to crack slightly. And as for Serena, her head started to bleed a little.

'What did I do to deserve this?! Why does God hate me?!' Serena thought, making herself start crying. "S-Seiya..." she timidly and cautiously asked.

"What is it, you insolent wretch?" he answered angrily.

"Do you think... Do you think that I might possibly die?"

"Feh! Everyone dies eventually! I can't believe how stupid girls are! This is why men are better!"

"I-I know that people all die eventually... But do you think... I might have a premature death?"

"Premature death? Let me ask you. What do you think is causing you to think like you are right now?"

"Well... It's been on my mind for awhile now...and... I'm constantly in pain, and I fear one day I might have to permanently leave this world. And then move on to the next..."

Seiya kicked her again before answering, "As I've already said, everyone dies at one point or another! Men are better, anyway, so your death wouldn't matter that much to anyone!"

"Not even to you? Who claims to love me?"

This was the one thing Seiya couldn't respond to. Until he somehow came up with something to say back, "It can't matter to me because you're worthless!"

"So... If I were gone, you'd be happier?"

"Most definitely."

"Then why do you keep me? Why won't you let me leave and then leave me alone?"

"First of all, you're very lucky you're with me! Most men wouldn't allow such ignorance to come from the oversized mouth of a woman. And I keep you to protect you from all those other men."

"To my knowledge, other men treat women with great care and kindness. Why don't you do that with me...?"

"Tsh! You must not know too much about other men! Or any man for that matter! Men don't take much of a liking to women! They're all the same, only here for reproduction and cleaning and cooking in their eyes."

"So I'm just a footstep to you, right? A doormat; just something for you to wipe your feet on while you can, right?"

"I won't tolerate anymore of this, brat!"

Seiya, instead of hurting her again, walked off and left her as she was. Normally it would seem mean or rude. But given the circumstances, Serena was more than grateful.

Seiya, she guessed, was already in bed. She got out a rag and some stain remover and started cleaning the red spots on the carpet. Once that was over with, she tended to her wounds. She had to use a mirror for some. But the girl in the mirror wasn't just a reflection. She was trapped, too. Therefore, Serena and the girl in the mirror had some common ground between them. Both were suffering. Both looked aweful, in terms of external looks. Both had many bruises. Both were locked up and couldn't get free, no matter how hard or often they tried... And, both cried every night.

Serena, after she was done with her injuries, noticed there was a phone nearby. Help! That could be it! Seiya must've been worn out tonight, because he _never_ left the phone sitting out in the open like that. He almost always put it in a safe. A locked safe...

'I could use that phone for help... But then there's that ever-lingering chance that Seiya will find out, hunt me down, and...and... Nevermind. I don't even want to think about it!' she thought.

For her, it was a huge deal! But there were extremely unorthodox risks...

Slowly, Serena picked up the phone. 'Not the police... Not the police... Not the police... If Seiya were to find out about that... Then I could die before they got here!' She bit her lower lip. If not the police, then who?


	8. Chapter 8

-Chapter 8-

Back at Darien's apartment...

Darien heard his phone rang. He got up and dragged himself out of his bed to answer it. "Hello...?"

"Um... Hi. Is Darien there right now?" a soft, quiet voice asked.

"You're talking to him. Er... To whom may I owe this most...unexpected...call?"

"Darien, it's me. Serena."

"Serena? She's not here right now. She's at Seiya's."

"What? Are you even awake?"

"Mmmm... You know, I might have to call you back, Serena- SERENA?!" He realized who it was now and suddenly became fully awake, "Serena! What are you doing?!"

"Ssshhh!!! Dear God, you're going to get me killed!" she hissed over the phone.

"What? How? What am I doing?!"

"Sh! Shhh! Shut up, you fool! Seiya's finally asleep!"

"Seiya?" Darien lowered his voice, "Serena, I'm serious! You need to come over to my place right now!"

"No... If I do, then he'll find out! I'll be sent to hell and back... But... I just need someone to talk to."

"Don't you have friends? Why'd you call me?"

"...Why...did I call you? I guess because... Meet me at the arcade, okay?"

"The same one we usually meet at? The one where Andrew works?"

"Yeah. That's the one. Seiya's asleep, so I'll leave a note saying I went to the store to buy him some new, fresh pillows or something."

"Okay. Bye."

"Bye, Darien."

Serena and Darien both hung up at the same time.

Darien was shocked. But he thought he knew what was going on, so he hastened to get himself ready. Not like a formal kind of ready or anything, but just get dressed at least to go out in public.

He hurried out the door and waited at the arcade, as promised.

Back at Seiya's apartment...

"Just what do you think you're doing?!" Seiya angrily said.

"I thought you were asleep, and I didn't want to wake you up. I swear! I wrote a note! See? I was just going to buy you some pillows. You know, because you've been complaining about how old and stinky yours are." Serena shoved the note in his face.

"If I catch you going anywhere else..." he warned.

"I won't!"

"Then go! And I expect some really good pillows when you get back here!"

Serena ran out the door, heading directly for the arcade.

Darien waited and waited. Serena wasn't there... Was she truly coming? He turned his head and saw a figure in the distance. It was Serena.

Serena ran up to him, eyes shining with tears that were imprisoned in her lower eyelid.

"Serena, what kept you?" Darien cluelessly asked.

"Same thing that always keeps me." Serena replied.

"Seiya."

"Yeah, smart guy. Seiya."

"What did you want to talk to me about?"

"I...need help."

"Help? Help with what?"

"I have to get away from Seiya. And soon. He's like the warlord that's beginning to tighten his security."

"I can't say I'm sure how to help you. But if you want, you can take me up on that offer of staying at my place."

"Can't. I already told you, Seiya can't find out. I wouldn't put it past him to kill me."

'This is my chance. She says Seiya can't find out, but... She turns down every offer. I have to protect her. I don't know why, or even how, but I know she'll be safe with me. I'll protect her even if i have to use force to do so.' Darien thought. "Perhaps," he said, "Nobody would tell Seiya where you're at. Would you be safe then?"

"You're an idiot, Darien! You think he won't know that I'm not there?!" she screamed at him.

"W-Well, I'm only trying to help you! I can't think of anything else!"

"Well, don't think of calling the police..."

"Why?"

"Seiya has many, many places he can run to. He...told me that..."

"That what, Serena? What did he tell you?!"

She pitifully looked down and took a deep breath. "He...told...me...that...the..." She took another deep breath before continuing. "...last...girlfriend...he...had...d...d...d..." she stammered.

"What about his last girlfriend?"

"...d-died..."

"DIED?!"

"Yes..."

"SERENA!!! Why don't you tell me these things?!" he shouted.

Serena knew this was a bad idea. So she improvised to get out of it. "Darien... I-I'm just going to...go back."

"Back to Seiya's? You're insane if you think I'll let you do that!" He grabbed her arm just as she turned to leave, twisting it by accident.

She closed her eyes and winced in pain. He was squeezing an already-blackened bruise. "L-Let...go..." she said, not fighting back for fear of excess pain in her arm. She figured he'd have already gotten the hint that he was hurting her.

"I'm not letting go, Serena! Anything _else_ you wanna tell me?! Like, oh yeah! There's a possibility that he could KILL you!!!"

Before anyone else could speak, Seiya appeared around the corner, where Serena had previously arrived from. "Serena." he commanded in a deathly tone.

Upon seeing Seiya, Darien's grip subconsciously loosened and Serena easily broke free of his grasp. She knew Seiya had heard the entire conversation, probably including the one over the phone. She ran up to him and immediately pulled her hands up to her face, clasping them together as though praying. "I'm sorry! It won't happen again!" she pleaded.

He looked down at her with eyes that could kill. "Let's go."

* * *

At Seiya's apartment...

"Listen up, wench. And listen up good. I don't think I quite broke you enough. Yet. So here's what I'm gonna do. This time, you won't suffer any physical injuries. I want you...to get ready for bed. I'll show you what I'm talking about after you're done. Here." Seiya threw to her a pajama set from Victoria's Secret. "Put these on instead of your old pajamas."

Serena watched as he went silently into his room. She was crying tears of gratitude. He wasn't going to hurt her this time? Did she get through to him the last time she spoke to him? Or had he perhaps developed a soft side? No one knew yet, but this was her first non-punishment in too long a time. She was going to accept this night with a very thankful attitude.

"Okay, Seiya! I'm done!" she said after about five minutes. Her top was a iridescent purplish color and was tight around her. It didn't show all that much cleavage. Her bottom was the same color. Only the bottom had a pinkish logo sign on it's corner.

He came in. "Now, Serena." he murmured. "Do you know what it is that you're wearing?"

She didn't know whether to nod her head or shake it. "Pajamas?" she questioned.

"Yes. Now answer this for me. How would I have already had a set of pajamas picked out for right when you got home?" He didn't wait for her answer, though, "It's because they aren't actually yours. You see, you know that my previous girlfriend died. What was she wearing when she died? Those pajamas. They are how I'm gonna break you. Your task is to wear them for most of the night."

She looked up at him with a puzzled expression on her face. "Most?"

"Get in your bed, Serena." he commanded.

She got in her bed and got a look of approval from Seiya. That was a good sign; it meant she did exactly what he'd wanted her to do and therefore it gave him no reason to hurt her.

* * *

The next day at the arcade...

"...but then the approval look turned into a lustful look!" Serena sobbed to her friends. Then she continued onwards with the story, "And after that he climbed on top of me and pinned me down. I couldn't do anything! He covered my mouth so I wouldn't scream. He peeled off my clothes and...and he..."

"Oh my God! Serena, he didn't...you know...did he?" Rei asked.

"Y-Yeah! He did! He did. He did..."

"And what happened after you were raped?" Mina said, just to make sure she was on the same page as everyone else.

"Nothing... He just left me there and... Mina... It hurt! If he hadn't stopped when he had, I'd would been split in half!"

Everyone jerked back at this and hissed in sympathy.

"That bad?!"

"Worse... I can't really describe how insanely painful it was! But now I'm not virgin and I can't really say which hurt worse... But to lose my purity to _him_...!" she cried.

"I'm...gonna...kill...Seiya..." Lita growled.

Serena stood up quickly. "Lita! You can't! Remember all the things I've told you about Seiya! I'm gonna go through hell if you can't control yourself!"

Lita loosened up a bit, knowing what she said was probably true. But after what'd already happened, was there really anything _worse_ he could do to her?

The arcade's bell rang, signaling someone had come inside.

Everyone but Serena and Andrew, who was concentrating excessively hard on Serena's conversation, looked to see who it was. Darien.


	9. Chapter 9

-Chapter 9-

Darien, who'd just come into the arcade, slowly and seriously walked toward where Serena sat. The expression on his face told everyone to mind their own business.

Serena didn't need to look. She knew what he was here for and she knew exactly who it was. He was here for her. And soon, that deep, masculine, Darien-like voice came.

"Serena. Can I talk to you?" He looked over at Serena's friends and emphasized, "_Privately?_"

She nodded, not bothering much to speak, fearing she'd somehow spill the beans about her earlier ordeal with Seiya. Her friends reluctantly left and let Darien slide in the booth.

"Why did you choose to follow Seiya? You could've stuck behind me, and I would have protected you from him." Darien said.

"Why...? I followed him, yes. But if I hadn't..." She remembered last night. If she hadn't followed Seiya, she wouldn't be, morally and emotionally, in the condition she was right now.

Darien was about to scold her for being so stupid, but he immediately stopped himself as soon as he saw tears leaking from her eyes. She was trying to hide them, but was unsuccessful. That much he knew.

"He...did something." He saw Serena's head shoot up in distress. "Didn't he, Serena?"

She nodded shakily.

"What'd he do?"

Her whole face turned red with anger, embarrassment, and frustration. At the time Seiya did what he did, she was completely helpless. There was nothing she could've done to prevent him from doing that except stay with Darien, which, out of fear, she didn't do.

"I-It doesn't really matter. It was my fault for not listening to you. If...If I'd just listened..." She trailed off, letting her mind wander away from the painful night.

Darien got mad this time and grabbed her shoulders, slightly pulling her toward him as he did. "Don't you _ever_ say that again!" he warned.

She glared at him. "If it wasn't my fault, then whose was it?!"

Beaten yet again... There was no answer he could come up with that would be true. Or that would convince her otherwise. "It's... It's just not your fault! Sometimes there are things in life that don't include anybody being at fault, Serena. I think you failed to understand that." He was trying his best to use a soft, calming voice, but his words turned out to be so harshly said they scared the socks off Serena. He felt her trying to tug away. "No. I don't mean to be rude or mean or anything, it's just... why don't you ever listen to me? I've offered you a stay at my place too many times, and now I can't help but wonder why you keep denying the offer."

"Because...of Seiya." Her voice was chock-full of pain and suffering.

Darien was about to reach his limit when Andrew came over to try to help the situation. "Hey, Darien. Hey, Serena." he said casually.

Some of the tension was released from the air as both acknowledged Andrew's presence. "Hey, Andrew." they both said, also casually.

"Is something bothering you, Serena?" he said, turning his attention to who it was on the entire time. Serena.

"Huh? N-No, not at all. Why do you ask?" she nervously asked him, feeling he knew something. The last thing she wanted was sympathy.

"Oh! Uh, no reason. You were just crying and I thought something might be going on. Wanna talk about it?" he said rather soothingly.

"Er... Sure, Andrew." Serena looked at Darien again and he got up and left the two to talk in private.

"So what's on your mind?" Andrew started off.

"Well... Before I say, you have to make a promise. Promise me you won't tell anyone what I'm about to tell you. Not even the police, okay?" she warned.

Andrew nodded his head, becoming all the more serious now.

"Okay... Here goes..." She hesitated for a moment. Then continued with a deep breath. "You know Seiya, my boyfriend?"

Andrew nodded again, listening intently to every word she said.

"Well... He's kinda rough with me-"

"Rough? What do you mean 'rough'?"

"I mean he, uh... W-Well, he..." She closed her eyes for a moment and imagined Andrew wasn't there; he was just a squirrel eating a nut, minding its own business. "He hits me." Wow. That was alot easier when she had said that to her imaginary squirrel...

"Whoa!!! Wait a sec! He _hits_ you?! As in abuse?! And you haven't asked for help?!" Even though Andrew knew, he was still surprised she'd said it.

"Y-Yes, but I have reasons behind it! Just...try to keep your cool, okay? For me, if nothing else."

He nodded in agreement.

"You were wondering what's been on my mind, right? Well, Darien doesn't know this, so don't tell him, but recently...r-recently, I..." She sighed, wondering if she could really tell him. "I'm not a virgin anymore, Andrew..."

Andrew, though overwhelmed at first, gradually became aware that she was waiting to see what his response would be. "S-Serena... That won't prevent him from hitting you..." he squeezed out.

"Um... I think you got the wrong idea. I didn't...you know..._want_ to." She didn't think she could tell him directly.

He sat back in the seat and ran his fingers through his hair. How could he respond to _that_?! There was really only one way to respond. "Serena..." he said sympathetically, "Did Seiya...use protection?"

Serena looked down; she hadn't thought about that. "Actually, I'm not really sure. It was sort of a...bad...moment. Everything is just a big blur to me."

"You should probably check to see if you're... you know...pregnant."

Serena blushed, despite the situation.

"I saw this commercial on TV. It was advertising a new pregnancy test. It can detect your pregnancy the day you get pregnant, so it's extremely sensitive. It's got an accuracy rate of one hundred percent. Maybe you should get that one. It's supposed to be out in stores right now." Andrew advised.

Serena nodded, grateful for his advise and comfort. She got up.

Andrew tugged her back down. "We have some stocked in the women's bathroom. It was just in a couple of days ago, so they're pretty new. Why not try it in here?"

Serena nodded and asked for a quarter, which were usually how much those things cost. She got a quarter and went into the bathroom.


	10. Chapter 10

-Chapter 10-

Andrew waited outside the bathroom for what seemed to be hours. "Serena," he said, "Are you okay in there?"

A muffled voice replied, "Yeah." Then a girl came out holding a covered stick. "Andrew, you look at it. I don't want to...you know."

The sandy-haired boy nodded and took the stick from her. He held it up to where it was eye-level with him, tilting it slightly so the light wouldn't block out the results. "Hold on a second, Serena. It's not done yet."

She nervously nodded.

Darien and the group of teens were lined up, trying to home in on the conversation.

'Is that a...pregnancy test?' Amy thought. But she mentally slapped herself. 'There's no way! Surely Seiya would've used protection. She must be nervous about everything and is just making sure.' Amy's cell phone vibrated. It was a text from Rei. It said, "Amy, is that thing a pregnancy test or a thermometer? Please say it's a thermometer!"

Rei's phone beeped and she read the reply. It said, "It might be. I can't really see from this distance. But I think she's just making sure _if_ it _is_ a pregnancy test."

Lita and Mina were caught up in the situation as well. Eventually the whole group was texting everyone who texted them, and therefore got caught in a web of neverending texts.

Darien had sweatdrops all over his body as he strained to listen.

"Okay. The results say you're..."

Serena shot her head up, hoping for the sake of not ruining her life that the test was negative.

"...That little cross suddenly doesn't look holy... I'm sorry, Serena." Andrew handed her the test.

Serena took it, too shocked to cry even though she felt like running out of the building. She went back inside the bathroom and threw away the test, not wanting to ever see it again.

When she came back out, she said, "And that thing is completely accurate?"

Andrew silently nodded. He went to the counter and brought back a chocolate milkshake, Serena's favorite.

She took it and downed the whole cup within record time. "Thanks."

"No problem. Anything else you need?"

"No. I'll just go now."

Serena's friends were swarming her as she was leaving.

"Serena! What were you and Andrew talking about?" Mina boldly asked.

"Oh, nothing. It was just about a new pastry he was working on." she hastily answered, hiding the sadness in her voice.

"Then why'd you go in the bathroom?" Lita blurted.

"Just 'cause I had to go."

"What was that stick you were holding?"

"What stick?"

"That thing that looked alot like a thermometer."

"Oh. That was a...a..." Serena racked her brain for something other than 'pregnancy test'. "It _was_ a thermometer. For food. Andrew wanted to see how accurate it was, so he told me to test the water in the sink with it and it wasn't very accurate so he said I should throw it away." Yeah, that'll have to do for now.

"Oh. So that's what that thing was. Well, see ya later, Serena. I got loads of homework to do!"

The others ran off as well, leaving Serena alone.

Darien, seeing that the girls were finally gone, walked up to her. "It wasn't a thermometer, was it?"

She snapped her head up. "O-Of course it was! What else could it be?"

"Oh, I dunno. Maybe _this_ might tell?" He pulled out the used pregnancy test. It still had the little plus sign on it.

"I-I've never seen that thing in my life!" she protested.

"Oh, really? Then what was it doing in your hands? And why was this little guy in the trash?"

"I don't know! Ask someone else!" she said, trying to slide into a different subject.

"How far along are you?"

Serena's tears started to shove each other out her eyes. This was obviously enough to tell Darien the truth.

"Why, Serena? Why'd you-"

"Shut up!"

Darien jerked back at her sudden outburst.

"It's not like I wanted to, okay?"

"So you were...forced upon?"

"You could say that... Or you could just leave me alone!"

"But, Serena! You've gotta go to a clinic or something!"

"I'm going to one tomorrow."

"Why won't you just take me up on my offer to stay with me, Serena?"

"Because once this is all over, you'll just make my life a living hell. I hate you, but you don't seem to get that."

"I know this sounds cliche, but I'm serious when I say I can change! I don't want you to suffer, and _you_ don't seem to get _that_!" he angrily replied.

She furrowed her eyebrows in fury and turned to leave for Seiya's apartment.

Darien dashed in front of her and stopped her. Again. "Okay," he started, "Just listen. What do you think Seiya will do when he finds out about the baby?"

Poor girl went completely pale. She stuttered, "I-I-I-I-I..."

"If Seiya finds out, do you think he'll hate you?"

"No! No, I don't think so... I mean, this is _his_ child and it was _his_ fault. Besides, no father would hurt a pregnant woman." She started to walk past him.

Darien knew she only said this to comfort herself. Deep down, however, they both knew it wasn't true. Perhaps lying to yourself was possible after all. "Serena! Wait."

She glanced back, her eyes full of hatred and pain. "What?" she spat.

"Are you going to take up my offer of the apartment? If you do, I swear, I'll make sure Seiya goes to jail or something! And you won't get hurt!" he pleaded.

She remembered what Seiya had told her. It was something she'd taken into account long ago, but to hear it from him actually strengthened her resolve and bitterness towards all men. "No." she answered simply. "I'm going to figure a way out of this, being as I got myself into it, and you'll leave me alone. Got it?"

Darien furiously shook his head. "Why don't you trust me enough to let me protect you? I can't possibly be any worse than Seiya, can I?"

"It isn't just you and Seiya I dislike. Andrew is the only man other than my dad that I can trust."

"Aw! C'mon, Serena! I haven't been _that_ bad to you!"

She slapped him, letting her anger fuel her actions.

"But I've been wrong before..." he muttered.

"I hate your guts, Darien! I always have, and I always will!" She took a deep breath, trying to regain her cool. "I made a mistake asking you for help. It won't happen again." she told him coolly.

When she tried to walk away again, he smiled and grabbed her shoulders a bit more forcefully than he intended. Fear was now evident in her eyes. "Hold on just a sec. You don't really hate me do you?"

She was frozen stiff.

"So I was right. You don't hate me. You _fear_ me."

His voice was so deep that it frightened her. She couldn't move even if she wanted to. And she _did_ want to, badly.

"Serena, fear just isn't the right word, is it? _Terrified_ would be the right word."

She was about to cry, not knowing what he was going to do to her now that he had gotten hold of her. And not knowing scared her more.

"You can't seriously say that I'm like him, can you? I've never _once_ touched you like he has, Serena! Not one time!"

Serena didn't hear a single word he said. She was thinking, 'I...hit him. He's gonna hurt me because I hit him! Oh, God! I'm so stupid! I asked for this! I really did!'

Darien felt her lean into him. He embraced her back, hoping he'd finally gotten through to her.

They stayed like that for several minutes until Darien was wondering why she hadn't moved a muscle. "Uh, Serena?" he said. He shook her gently. "Serena?" No response. He pulled her off of him and discovered the reason behind the strange action. The earliest sign of pregnancy: fainting. She'd fainted, and unfortunately it had to be on him.

Serena opened her eyes, wondering where she was at. 'Oh that's right!' she thought. 'I'm...' She lifted her head to see Darien holding her up. She unintentionally screamed, surprising Darien and making him drop her. She landed with a thud and scrambled to get on her feet again.


	11. Chapter 11

-Chapter 11-

Serena turned around and walked off, knowing she'd fainted on Darien. That in itself was humiliating. But then she'd have to tell Seiya about the baby... That would be both intimidating and scary. She was a young girl and he hit her! Lord only knows what would happen when he found out about the child! And now she was a young girl, pregnant, and living with an abusive boyfriend... What a life this world had to offer...

But Darien was right, Seiya wouldn't like the idea of a child. She knew that. Even when he seemed happy, he would hurt her. He was her constant torturer, and now he'd knocked her up! He was to blame, not Serena. A tear threatened to fall. Realizing this, she vowed to keep herself strong. She had to practice anyway, because if she didn't, her child may not grow up in the happiest environment ever known. She would pretend that nothing was happening, that everything was fine, and that _she_ was fine.

* * *

Darien was busy kicking a nearby lamp post in frustration when all the girls came by. Interrupting his abuse of the poor lamp post, they asked, "So, what exactly is Serena hiding from us?"

Darien almost fell over. "Oh! Geez, you guys surprised me..." Then he comprehended their question. Should he tell them? They were her best friends, so maybe she figured they weren't ready to know. His mind was made up. "What do you mean? She isn't hiding anything. Is she?" he said, trying to mask all the worry he felt for her.

"She didn't talk to you about anything?" Rei asked, also trying to mask the worry she felt.

"Nope, nothing really important. Why?" he said nonchalantly.

"Oh... We were just worried, that's all. But if you don't know, then it can't be helped..." Amy said, disheartened.

"Listen, Darien. We know you and Serena hate each other, but right now she really needs you. You already know she's living with an abusive boyfriend, Seiya, right? Well, Seiya did something to her that we think may have caused more damage than we first thought. He raped her... She explained it to us because she needed help. But we don't know what to do. We're at a loss. We can't call the police. She said if he found out, she'd be dead before they got there. So we need you to help us. We want our friend back. She's been different ever since the first week she started staying with Seiya. So we want you to help us bring her back to us, and to get her away from Seiya. Will you help us, Darien?" Mina both asked and explained.

Darien nodded without a second thought. He knew more than they did. He also knew she'd been acting very differently from her usual self. She didn't have as much energy, she wasn't as happy, and all she ever did was smile and bear the pain. It wasn't just killing her, it was killing everyone who knew her. All except Seiya, that is.

* * *

Serena hesitated. What would Seiya do to her? She was right at the door to his apartment. She'd have to tell him anyway, and she'd have to face his wrath alone. She wouldn't have wished this kind of punishment on her worst enemy! Her hand hovered in the same spot, completely unwilling to move. And she didn't blame it. Even her hand had had its fair share of pain and suffering.

But if she wasn't on time, her punishment would be much more severe. How many times had it been when she'd asked the universe why this had to happen? Why did she have to suffer so much? And when would this all end...? All these thought raced through her mind every day.

Serena began sweating from nervousness and tears fell furiously. It was almost as though she _couldn't_ knock on his door. She was smart enough to know, and had experience to back it up, just how severe her punishment would be.

She dropped to her knees and held her head in her hands. "I didn't do anything at all! It was all that aweful demon's fault!" she sobbed.

Right then, the door opened and Seiya was right behind it. "Who were you saying was an aweful demon?" He grabbed her arm and yanked her inside, slamming the door behind him as he did.

* * *

Darien was safely at home, wishing Serena was there with him. Even if she hated him, she was too scared to go through with any plans they made. Or take any offers he made. Perhaps she wasn't being dumb, perhaps it was the complete opposite. Maybe she was actually being smart instead. Seiya was cruel to her, so it would have to be expected that she'd be scared to come with him. And he already figured out that she was, deep down, scared of him, too. He was a man, and so was Seiya. Since that linked them, maybe she thought he would hurt her as well. _He_ knew he wouldn't, but the only problem was: did _she_ know that?

Come to think of it, any sudden movements he made, she took as a threat and immediately cowered and tried to be as submissive as possible. He could only imagine what Seiya was doing to her right now. He imagined her crying for help, and no one there to help her. She would be suffering all alone, and then when it was all over, she could only suck it up and deal with it. Meanwhile, she wondered every day if she would get to see tomorrow.

On top of that, her usual cheery, light-hearted, bubbly nature was gone. Now she was entirely serious and never laughed. Whenever she _did_ laugh, it was always a fake laugh, just an act to make people think she was okay. She never joked around anymore and could care less about shopping. Plus, her eating had gone down dramatically. True, she still ordered an occasional milkshake, but she never actually finished it like she used to.

Plus, there were her eyes. Those two gleaming angelic blue orbs of happiness that always used to shine with spirit. But now, they didn't shine at all. They were no longer the two gleaming angelic blue orbs of happiness everyone had come to love and appreciate. Instead, they were tainted with displeasure, suffering, and pain. Lots and lots of pain. There wasn't even so much as a glint of happiness in them.

Then there was the fact that she was almost lifeless. She wouldn't talk too much, unlike the way she used to talk. She was more secretive of nearly everything. She was more like a walking zombie than a human being. The undead. She never really had much energy anymore. She used to have too _much_ energy. So this was a dramatic change of pace.

Her body was bruised, beaten, and worn. She used to be so healthy and full of love. Now she literally couldn't afford to care about anyone but herself. No longer was she healthy. No longer was she happy. No longer was she Serena.

* * *

The girls were worried just as much as Darien. They all slept at Rei's temple that night, chatting about what they were going to do with Serena.

"Well, I _do_ have a sedative in my house." Amy implied.

"So you're thinking we could sedate her and bring her back?" Lita asked, just to be sure she understood properly.

Amy nodded in response.

"It might work, but I don't know if I really want to use a bunch of chemicals on Serena. For all we know, she's taking a different kind of medicine. Maybe something like a painkiller." Rei rebutted.

"That's a good point. I don't think it would be a good idea to use a sedative if she's already on a different medication. It might only hurt her." Amy groaned, straining for another answer.

"We could try using force." Lita suggested.

"As good of an idea as that sounds, she might try to struggle. We could all get hurt that way. That can be a last resort, Lita." Mina said, making sure her own opinion was heard.

Everyone looked at Rei, thinking she might be able to use some kind of priestess magic to paralyze Serena or something.

"Hey, woah! Don't look at me! All I can do is pray and tell people's fortunes!" she said, crushing everyone's hopes of that idea.

Everyone looked back down, then at Mina, the only one who hadn't given out an option yet.

"Er... Eh... Well, maybe we could try bringing her home when she's asleep!" she twittered, all proud of herself.

"Actually, I think it might just work! After all, Serena's beyond a sound sleeper!" Lita agreed.

"Yeah, I don't think it'll work, guys..." Amy said in dismay.

"I'm with Amy," Rei agreed, "Think about it. If Serena was a sound sleeper before, she won't be now."

"What do you mean, Rei?" Mina questioned, not wanting her option snubbed like the rest.

"Put yourselves in her shoes for a second. You're living with your abusive boyfriend, thinking there's no way out. You suffer at his hands every day. You know he hurts you and you know he'll most likely do it again. Eventually, you're going to grow more aware and alert, right? Well, that's why Serena won't be a sound sleeper. She's naturally grown too alert to be captured when she's sleeping. You see now?" Rei explained to the group of frustrated girls.

"You have a point, Rei... But I just wanna make a quick observation. I didn't like being in Serena's shoes." Mina said.

"Neither did I..." all the other girls said simultaneously.


	12. Chapter 12

-Chapter 12-

The next day, Serena was nowhere to be found at the arcade.

"Where is she? I thought she came every day." Darien asked the girls.

"Yeah, she does. Something's wrong." Lita worriedly said.

"Maybe she's just late, guys." Mina said, hoping to calm them even a little tiny bit.

"Maybe..." Rei halfheartedly agreed.

"Yes, maybe... It's a possibility." Amy said, knowing what Mina was trying to do.

Andrew was just as worried. He wasn't giving excellent customer service like he usually did because he was constantly looking toward the door, waiting to see if Serena was coming. Poor girl had already gone through so much... Andrew couldn't help but wondering if she'd told Seiya.

Darien kept chatting with the girls to find out more information on Serena, seeing if he could piece this all together. What was there to piece together, you ask? A ton. Why Serena was late, what would eventually happen to her, if she would ever accept his offer. All of these things and other things related to Serena.

The girls explained a new plan to Darien. Darien nodded, telling them he understood. Amy glanced over at Lita and Lita nodded, then she glanced over at Mina and she nodded as well, then Amy turned her gaze to Rei. Although hesitant at first, Rei had no other choice but to agree. She nodded. Now knowing everyone was okay with this rather risky plan, Amy showed them the small powder that was cushioned in a a small square piece of paper.

**_Ding-Ding_**

Everyone snapped their heads toward the sound, including Andrew. He spilled hot coffee all over an innocent customer as he did. The doorbell had rung, and Serena came in. She had an ice pack over one eye. A bandage was tied across her head in a headband-like manner and was showing a splotch of red in its center. What had happened to her?

Serena walked slowly over to her usual booth, not stopping to greet anyone.

Her friends' faces were a mask of shock and pain.

"Oh my God... Serena, you look aweful!" Amy whispered.

"Oh, thanks, Amy. Girls just _love_ hearing that." Serena hissed. It was made clear to everyone she wasn't in a good mood and probably had a bad night pegged as the cause.

Amy, who was sitting on the end of the booth, winked at everyone else and apologized, asking Serena if she wanted a milkshake or anything else. A milkshake... Something Serena hadn't had in what seemed like forever. It was only natural that Serena would agree to the milkshake.

Amy nodded in an understanding way and slid out of the booth, leaving temporarily for Andrew's service.

"So, Serena, I completely understand if you don't ant to talk about this, but what happened to you last night?" Rei asked, verbalizing the question everyone was thinking.

"I...really don't feel like talking about it today. Maybe some other day, but for now I'm just not up to it." she answered. With this reply she immediately dismissed the subject.

"Serena!" Amy's normally soft voice rang throughout the entire arcade, surely catching Serena's attention. She ran back to the booth with Serena's favorite, a chocolate milkshake. She set the icy delight right in front of Serena. In turn, Serena was semi-quick to grab it, along with the free-of-charge straw.

Everyone watched nervously as she sipped on it for a bit. No one dared to speak, fearing they'd say something that would give away their plan. Although, as of now, it was too late to turn back. Still, they could explain everything to Serena later. And no one wanted to rush her or arouse suspicion, let alone get her stressed out or upset. They wanted her mental state to be stable the entire time she drank.

Serena, feeling uncomfortable in the midst of everyone's gazes, asked why everyone was looking at her.

Everyone racked their brain for an excuse. "We just wanna see if you can down that thing normally, that's all. You see, we all made side bets. I think I'm gonna win for sure!" Mina lied. Although that might have been interesting...

"Yeah... So anyways, did Andrew add a new ingredient? It tastes kinda funny, like someone put something really bitter into it." she observed.

"Oh! Andrew and Amy came up with the concoction the other day. Alot of people liked it, so Andrew asked Amy if he could sell it. Amy said yes, and we thought you'd wanna try it. You know, since you like chocolate milkshakes so much." Lita quickly responded.

"Uh... Sure, okay... I guess it doesn't taste _too_ bad, but I liked the original one much better." she stated. "Could you give that feedback to Andrew for me?"

"Sure." Rei replied, wanting her input to be heard before the milkshake started to take effect, which wouldn't be too long now.

After just a few more sips and a few more minutes, the milkshake was finally working its magic.

"Hey... Guys, I think I'll go back now..." she said awkwardly.

"Why?" Amy asked quietly, eager for what was to come next.

"Well, I, uh...just...I...feel...dizzy... Everything's...spinning." she answered, her voice breaking and cracking, making it sound almost like she was gurgling the words she spoke.

"Are you okay, Serena?" Darien came up to the group, realizing just now that the milkshake was doing its job, and well.

"N-No... I can't... I..can't... It's...hard to...stay...awake..." Again the gurgling noises came into play. No one was truly shocked because this was their plan all along. "You guys... Please...stop moving!" she begged, even though no one was moving. She stood up, and walked out of the arcade, figuring she just needed some movement and fresh air. When that didn't work she came stumbling back inside, fighting for consciousness.

Mina leaned over to Amy and whispered, "Amy, shouldn't Serena already have been knocked out by now?"

Amy whispered back, "She's just being stubborn. Give it at least a few more minutes. She may be fighting hard, but she'll have to give in soon enough."

Serena scraped her knee on the wall, but didn't seem to feel anything. This was good; it meant the drug was taking her. She began sweating uncontrollably. This was either a normal side effect, or it was really really bad...

Andrew came over and asked if she was okay.

Everyone, including Darien, nodded.

Serena continued struggling against the drug that had infected her body. She was scrambling around, trying to hold on to things just to stay upright. Her feet and legs were starting to give way. It was increasingly harder to stand. "Amy... What...? Where...? What'd you...do...to me...?"

Nobody answered her, shocked that she'd figured it all out. Andrew looked at them, confused as to what she was talking about.

"It's okay," Mina said, "We just drugged her."

"G-Guys...come on... Help me..." she demanded in anything but a demanding tone. Her lower half was almost completely paralyzed. Her legs weren't responding the way she wanted them to. They were going in opposite directions, but still trying to let her upper half stay upright. However, in order to help her legs, Serena had to pull up most of her weight by grasping a support beam in the arcade. However, she wasn't _hanging_ off of it, she was just trying to support herself.

Rei stood up and leaned across the table, whispering to Amy asking why Serena hadn't passed out yet. The reply she got was, "Serena's just a hard fighter. I kind of expected this from her. Remind your self, too, that she _is_ Sailor Moon." Rei asked if it would've been better if they'd used twice the the amount they used in Serena's milkshake. Again, Amy's reply came, "Perhaps..." Rei sat back down, pondering what would happen if they used twice the dosage.

Serena was still not fainting. Her strong will was probably the only thing keeping her conscious. But the rest of her body was being consumed by the drug's effects. Her arms might as well have been slapping her in the face, because she could hardly control them anymore. She threw herself over to the booth her friends sat at. She lent her arms a rest, letting them drop to her side. Her legs grew unable to support her, and she dropped like a sack of potatoes onto the tile floor of the arcade.

Then, realizing just what her and her friends intended to do, she laid in her back. Then she rolled herself towards the door, trying to get away before the drug had complete control over her body. Luckily for her there weren't that many people in the arcade. She headbutted the door, thus opening it, and squirmed through the narrow exit.

Everyone, including Andrew and Darien, followed her out.

Serena knew this was the worst escape plan ever, but with the drug almost taken over her entire body, she couldn't think right. In fact, she was starting to see things. Trees weren't trees, they were huge purple rocks. She continued wriggling past her delusional objects until she was lost in her own illusion. Where...? Where the heck was this? There wee dragons soaring through the sky, threatening to burn her to a crisp. There was a railroad track to her left, which she tried to get away from, but found she could hardly move anymore. It seemed the only thing functioning semi-right was her mind and eyes. She looked in front of her to find a giant sundae, topped with everything she loved. Suddenly six gummy bears came just inches from her head. The were speaking in a completely foreign language. Unable to recognize left from right or up from down, she swiveled her head and bit into the gummy bear's leg. It tasted good.

"YOW! SHE BIT ME!" Lita screamed, rubbing her already reddening ankle.

Everyone looked to Amy for information.

"It's a common side effect of the drug. She's delusional." Amy told them.

When Serena's eyes closed, Darien came over.

"No!" Amy stopped him, "Don't touch her just yet. The drug just numbed her eye muscles, it hasn't truly taken full effect yet."

Serena's head dropped with a thud and her whole body relaxed.

"Just half a minute more, then the drug should have done its job." Amy stalled.

**Half a minute later...**

Serena's even breathing told them she had finally passed out. After all that had happened, the wait was worth it.

"Darien, you're up." Mina said, beckoning to him that it was his turn.

Darien nodded, walked over to the collapsed blonde, and tried to pick her up. Oh, God... She was heavy... Darien called Andrew over to hold up her head, while he got her legs. Together, both the boys managed to lift their load off of the ground and into the air.

Meanwhile, Serena's sleep-induced dream was anything but pleasant.


	13. Chapter 13

-Chapter 13-

**Serena's dream... (In her POV)**

I am flying through the fluffy, soft clouds on feathery angel wings. They suddenly turn into floating marshmallows and I am soon busy eating them. The sun's rays seem to show me that they love me with their warming light. I look up and smile at the sun. I feel the love it gives me. It feels so good...

Then, the strangest thing happens. The cloud/marshmallows drop earthward, and I find myself being consumed by darkness. The darkness spreads out of me, and into the entire background. Now I am surrounded by pitch-black darkness. The sun was gone, and with it its love. I blindly wander around, wondering why I am here. I also wonder what happened just moments ago. I feel someone's cold gaze, and terror strikes my heart. A voice mumbles something, but I cannot understand what it is telling me. I ask aloud, "Where am I?"

"You know where you are." the voice cackles back.

"I do?" I wonder.

I look around one more time, and I am with my family. I feel happy and loved, like I did when I was in the open sky. I suddenly get it! I am home! But it is strange... Nobody pays any heed to my presence. Nobody notices me. It is almost as if I am not there at all. Everybody is busy minding their own business. Then, they all drop to the ground. I run towards them, but when I get to them, they are gone! What is happening to me? I feel the same darkness overcome me, and then it spreads out of me and blocks out the image of my family.

I can feel my cheeks burning with anger, frustration, sadness, and confusion. Why do I feel these things? They were horrid feelings! I didn't want them invading my mind and body! But then, the same voice came again. It says something, but again I cannot comprehend what it is saying. I feel something whisk past my soul, and a new feeling comes to me. Hatred. Pure hatred for the voice. But where was the voice coming from?

The voice comes again, calling my name. "Serena. Serena. Serena." it keeps repeating.

I cry out, "WHAT? What do you want...? Who are you?"

But the voice does not cease its calling of me. It keeps saying my name, though I know not why.

"I'm here!" I call back to the voice, thinking maybe it's trying to find me in this aweful darkness. I keep saying the same thing, trying to guide it towards me, until the voice stops me.

"I know where you are! But do _you_ know where you are?" it asks. Then it returns to repeating my name.

I am utterly confused. What is this voice? What does it want from me? I have no clue what to do now. I start thinking I might be in danger, but from what?

"Am I in harm's way?" I ask it.

It just repeats what I have said, as though echoing me. Soon the annoying voice gets faster and more cluttered, until it sounds like there are a thousand voices.

I can only walk around, trying to find where the voice was coming from.

There is the outline of a person. I feel refreshed and relieved knowing I am not alone. This _must_ be where the voice is coming from! The outline is gray.

I waste no time in running to it. But when I get there, I find the outline I thought was a person is actually just some kind of smoke. It billows away, smothering the outline. Then I am struck with the feeling there is something bigger at hand. I still do not understand why I am here. I do not know where I am, but I am somewhere.

The voice suddenly returns to one voice, this time asking me who I was, instead of where I was at.

"I am Serena." I answer back.

"No! Serena is the girl who-" the voice stopped.

I can feel its fear lingering in the air. I do not know who this voice is, but I know it is trying to tell me something important. I urge it to continue its sentence, but the voice does not respond to me. It does not answer, and I no longer feel its presence. I know now that I am alone. The air turns chilly, but I pay no mind to it.

My instincts tell me I'm in danger, but logic tells me there is nowhere to run or hide. Fighting is out of the question. I am not strong. I know that. But I feel as though I need to do something!

A new voice makes itself known. "Serena." it says.

I feel fear overwhelm me. I cannot move. I stand, fearful of what is coming. But I do not know what is coming! I just know it will not be something good. MY instincts scream at me. They tell me to run! Run far, far away from here! But I cannot escape! I feel myself crying, but I do not bother to try to stop it. I want myself to be heard, even if it means letting my body speak for me.

"Cry, Serena. Cry. Scream. Be tortured. Be afraid." the voice taunts.

I cry even more. I do not know who this voice is. I want to have the other voice back, but I am scared of that voice as well. This voice is much more fearsome than the last. I realize that my hatred is uncompared with the last voice. I hate both, but this voice makes my blood boil. I cannot talk, so it keeps taunting me with what it wants me to be doing.

A light shines down on me through the darkness, and I feel less tense. I am scared of the light, though. It is mysterious. Does it want to help me or hurt me?

Either way, I feel drawn to this strange light. Every nerve in my body is yelling to go to neither the voice nor the light, but I shove the small voices in my head aside and walk slowly and cautiously toward the light. I feel as though both the voices and the light want me to come with them. But the voice is pulling me a different way than the light is. Which should I choose?

Before I could decide one hundred percent, the light flickered and went out. Now the only way to go is with the voice.

"Come to me, Serena." it commands in a deathly tone.

I obey, but I don't want to go with the voice. I am guided by the voice. Before I know what hit me, the voice is gone and a lone white dragon stands before me, crying. I cannot leave it this way, so I ask it what is wrong.

"Why...? Why, Serena...?" it cries. It flexes its huge white wings and flies. As it climbs upward, it circles above me.

However, I do not feel threatened by this dragon.

Two more dragons enter the scene, plummeting out of the blackness. One is red. The other is blue.

I feel threatened by both.

"Come with me, Serena." the blue dragon urges.

"No, Serena! Do not listen to the blue dragon! He will harm you if you go with him!" the red dragon warns.

I look up at the white dragon, still circling above me. She seems to be trying to choose between the red and blue dragons. Her flight patterns are indicating she wants part of neither. But, like me, she is alone, and therefore needs companionship. She is also watching me, seeing who I will choose.

I look back at the blue and red dragons. They start circling around me, but they do not fly. They have wings, however they do not seem to want to use them. They want to stay level with me. The red dragon keeps glaring at the blue dragon. The blue dragon keeps eying me.

I know I must choose one of them. But I can't. They are big. They can hurt me. I do not want to set myself up only to be hurt. Both dragons look familiar, as though I know them.

Right as I am about to choose, the white dragon swoops down in front of me and scolds me, "Serena! You should know better than to trust these dragons!" Then she seems to realize something. "Serena!" she screams, "Run! You are in grave danger!"

Both the red and blue dragon fly skyward with a burst of wind from their wings.

I know I should get out as well, but before I can run, I drop straight through the the darkness. I scream and cry for help, but no one comes to my rescue. I look down, and find that I am headed for a red glow. The glow gets brighter and brighter until I find myself in a fiery pit.

I am hot, burning alive. The flames lick at my flesh, and each flame burns in a different way.

Fireballs shoot at me, but I dodge them. Little by little, the flames are burning away at my skin. Already there are open wounds and sores. The blistering heat is scorching my body, but I can't get away.

I float up, looking down at my own body. It is collapsed and lifeless, still burning in the flames of that fiery pit. I try to look at the body I have now, but I see no body. I realize I am my soul. I have died. And I am watching my own death, feeling it, and thinking it.


	14. Chapter 14

-Chapter 14-

Serena woke up in a sweaty mess. She looked around. Where was she? Oh, no... The dream! It's going to come true! She hopped to her feet and bounded for the door. She frantically struggled to get it open, but it was locked from the outside. She was trapped. She banged on the door, hoping someone would hear her. After awhile of this, no one came. She gave up. This was just like at Seiya's-WAIT! Could this be the room Seiya wouldn't let her go in?

The last thing she remembered was drinking a milkshake with her friends. She turned when she heard the door open. Who was it? Was it Seiya?

Amy was the first to walk in, followed by Lita, Rei, Mina, and lastly, Andrew.

Serena sighed and ran up to them. "Amy! Where am I? How'd I get here? I had this dream that I was flying and I fell and these dragons wanted me to choose which one of them I should go with, and there were these voices!"

Amy looked over at Rei, "You can read others' dreams, right? I want you to do that with Serena. Find out what her dream was about."

Rei nodded and ushered everyone else out.

Then she began her dream-reading with Serena as her client.

"Alright then, Serena. I want you to tell me your entire dream from start to finish." she started.

Serena took a deep breath and said, "Okay. First I was flying in the sky on angel wings."

Rei took mental notes of these things. Flying usually meant someone was living a carefree life.

Serena continued, "But everything was gone when this darkness blocked it out."

That could mean she was entering her subconscious thoughts.

"A voice was there. It told me I already knew where I was at when I asked it. I looked around and I was with my family. But then they all dropped to the ground."

A flashback of her family's death.

"I ran toward them but the darkness re-appeared."

She was re-entering her subconscious thoughts.

"I remember feeling all these emotions rush through me. I hated the voice."

The voice was a person she hated.

"It kept repeating my name, and I thought at first that it was trying to find me in the darkness, so I kept trying to guide it with my voice, saying, 'I'm here!'. But it said it knew where I was, then it asked me if _I_ knew where I was. I thought I might be in danger, so I asked it if I was. It repeated me. It soon sounded like there was a thousand different voices echoing my words. I tried to find it, but it was too dark to see. I saw someone's outline, but it turned out to be smoke and it drifted away."

She was lonely and needed someone there with her.

"The voice asked me who I was as it returned to just one voice again. I said I was Serena, but it told me, 'No! Serena is the girl who-' and then it cut off. I could feel the fear it radiated. I somehow knew I was in danger. The voice ran away."

She was scared.

"Then a new voice called my name. I didn't know who the voice belonged to, though. I just remember feeling scared."

She was afraid of another person, too.

"I remember...I kept wanting to run away, but I was so scared I couldn't. I cried. I wanted the voice to know it was scaring me. It just said, 'Cry, Serena. Cry. Scream. Be tortured. Be afraid.'"

The voice was Seiya, no doubt.

"Suddenly a light shined down a few yards away from me. I was scared of that, too. I remember I felt drawn to the strange light. I didn't know what it was. The light and the voice were trying to pull me towards them."

The light represented safety, and Serena's uncertainty of it.

"The light stopped shining."

She couldn't get to safety.

"And the voice told me to come to it. I did."

She had no choice but to go back to Seiya, because the safety she'd been seeking had disappeared.

"Before I knew it, there was a single white dragon in front of me. It was crying. I asked it what was wrong, and it replied, 'Why...? Why, Serena...?' then it flew above me and circled overhead. I felt fine with the dragon being there, though. I didn't feel like any harm could come from it."

The white dragon represented Serena's body. It had been beaten by Seiya, so now her body was asking her why she didn't go to safety when she had the chance.

"Two more dragons came out of the darkness. I didn't like them. They scared me. One was red and the other was blue. The blue one demanded that I come with it, but the red dragon protested and said I shouldn't; that if I did, the blue dragon would harm me."

The red dragon represented her new form of safety, Darien. The blue dragon represented the same foe, Seiya. But she didn't like either dragon?

"The white dragon was trying to choose between the red and blue dragon. She didn't want either of them but was lonely. She kept looking at me, watching to see which dragon I chose to go with. The dragons started circling me, but weren't flying."

She was going to have to choose between Darien and Seiya.

"I was about to choose one, but then the white dragon interfered, saying I shouldn't trust either dragon."

She didn't trust either because both could hurt her. She didn't want to take any chances.

"Suddenly the white dragon told me to run, that I was in grave danger. The two other dragons flew off, and I fell through the darkness and into a fire pit. I can still feel the pain... The flames devoured my body, and I became a soul. I watched as the flames continued burning my body. Then I woke up to find myself here."

Serena was unable to reach safety in time. She died.

Rei nodded. Now she understood everything. She got up and told Serena to wait there a second. Then she went outside the room and told her friends about the dream.

"The dream was pretty intense, that's for sure. I think it was trying to warn her about the future. In her dream, she died because she couldn't reach safety from Seiya. Darien, you were there, too. You were a red dragon. But she didn't trust you in her dream. She told me she was scared of the red dragon. Seiya was a blue dragon. She was scared of him as well. She was a white dragon. And the white dragon told her she couldn't trust either of the other two dragons. It's my assumption that she's scared of all men because of what Seiya had done to her." Rei explained.

Darien looked down, "Oh... I see. I kind of expected she'd be that way, but for her dream to say it to her?"

Andrew looked at him. "Don't feel bad. It's Seiya's fault, if anything! And besides, she's scared of me, too."

"Darien, I suggest you be mindful of everything that's happened the next time you go in there." Rei advised.

Darien nodded.

"That Seiya's some piece o' work! The nerve of that guy... He makes me wanna puke up blood!" Lita angrily stated.

"Same here, but for now we should focus more on Serena and less on Seiya. Poor Serena doesn't even know what's going on!" Amy mused.

"Yeah..." Lita gave. Amy was right, no matter which way you turned it.

"The entirety of Serena's dream showed everything just went downhill after her family died." Rei said.

"Woah! Wait! Serena's family _died_?" Darien asked, shocked. He thought Serena just left her family to live with Seiya, but it turns out her family had died, and she had nowhere else to go _but_ Seiya's place.

"Yeah. They died, and the day after, Serena went to live with Seiya. She had nowhere else to go to, and she couldn't pay the taxes for her family's home." Mina said.

"I had no idea..." he said, remorse evident in his voice.

"It's not your fault, Darien. Serena's parents and brother were going to go get some new clothes. Serena wanted to come, but had a huge homework backup. She had to stay home and do her homework. Her parents and Sammy, her little brother, were on their way to shop when they got hit by a drunk driver. He was driving an eighteen-wheeler truck. Everyone, including the drunk driver, was killed." Lita explained.

"Ever since then Serena's been blaming herself for their deaths. She keeps thinking she should've been there with them. But it's been hard on her because she hasn't had any time to mourn over them. With her problems with Seiya, she's got almost no time for herself." Mina added.

"She's been trying to be strong about everything, but she's hurting inside." Think of that as Lita's continuation of Mina's comment.

It wasn't long before Rei had to go back in the room Serena was in because she still had no idea how she got here or where she was at.

Serena looked up to see Rei come back in. "So?" she asked.

"The girls and I think it's best if you stay here, in Darien's apartment." Rei broke the ice.

"WHAT? Bu-" Serena's sentence was cut off by Rei's dismissive hand-waving.

"None of us have any doors that lock from the outside, and Darien's a boy. He can protect you from Seiya. And if he can't beat Seiya, then he can stall him at least long enough for you to get away."

"Rei, I-" Again with her dismissive hand signals...

"Listen, Serena. We all know this has been really hard you, especially after having lost your family," she said sympathetically, "I lost my mother and father as well. That's why I'm living with my grandfather at the temple. I've been able to get over that, but not forget it. No one expects you to forget, Serena. You don't have to forget. Just don't let this ruin your life. We've pulled you away from Seiya so you can start over, the right way. You have a home. And your friends are your family now. Don't throw away this opportunity we've given you by going back to Seiya. That's also the reason this door has to stay locked. As your friendly family, we aren't going to _let_ you pass this up. Don't you get it? You're safe now."

Serena thew herself into Rei's body and cried. In turn, Rei smiled a motherly smile and patted Serena's back, a gesture that said, "It's okay now..."

Serena kept crying and saying she wanted her family back, she wished none of this had ever happened.

Rei could only respond with, "I know, I know... It's hard, but we can pull through this together, okay?"

Serena nodded her head, not releasing her grip on Rei's shirt. "I hate Darien, Rei... He's such a jerk... Why do I have to stay with him...?"

"I told you, Serena," she answered softly, "He can protect you better than we can."

"But you're Sailor Scouts..." she whined.

"True, but we all lost our power sticks in a fight. Well, except Mina." she explained.

"What-What happened to Mina's...?" Serena asked.

"It's a funny story. She thought Artemis had it. Artemis didn't have it, so he gave her a thong instead!" Rei chuckled, remembering the night they'd all slept together.

Serena smiled. That was so like Mina... And she didn't think Mina even realized it.

"You feeling better?" Rei asked.

Serena nodded, knowing Rei had helped her. But none of this changed the fact that she was till afraid of Darien. This was going to be a hard time for her...


	15. Chapter 15

-Chapter 15-

Everyone but the boys gathered in the room to say goodbye to Serena. They knew she'd have a hard time adjusting to the sudden change in environments, and to staying with Darien. But perhaps if she stayed with him, she could overcome her fear of men.

"Where's Andrew?" she asked.

Shocked by this comment, Mina told Andrew to come in.

Serena hugged everyone, including Andrew, in turn. She knew what was happening; she wasn't stupid. They were going to make her stay here "for her own good" as they'd phrased it. Unfortunately, they weren't ready to hear she was pregnant, so since Darien and Andrew were the only boys who knew about it, it probably _was_ best if she stayed with Darien. He could pick up her prenatal vitamins and take her to the doctor.

It was actually the first time they'd gotten to see her eye, the one that previously had an ice pack over it. The only reason they hadn't noticed it much before was because they were too busy with the whole "plan". Seiya had gotten that eye pretty badly. No one knew what had happened, but her eye was black and swollen shut.

**Later that day...**

Everyone had gone. Serena sat huddled in a corner in her little room. She'd thought of escaping through the window, but Darien's apartment was way too high. On top of this new kind of torture, she hadn't had a single meal yet. Her stomach was angry at her. It felt like her stomach was on the verge of eating itself.

_Grrrrr... Grr-Grrrrrr..._

Her stomach was relentless. All Serena could think of was food. Tacos, cheeseburgers, ice cream, chicken, rolls, apples. Everything you could think of, she thought of. Suddenly Darien's voice came from the other side of the door.

"Serena, if you're hungry, I'm making dinner right now. It's spaghetti with meatballs. Do you want any?" he asked her.

She wasn't compelled to answer him, so she stayed as quiet as she could, even holding her breath.

"Well, I'll leave some in your room if you want any." he told her.

Still no answer came from Serena. She didn't want to speak to him, fearing she might say something wrong, or worse: something that made him angry.

Darien was in the kitchen. He was dressed in jeans and a gray T-shirt. He hoped the casual appearance would make Serena less wary around him.

He stirred the spaghetti one more time, then proceeded to drain the water from the pot. He added all the ingredients, meaning the sauce, and set out two plates. Obviously, one was for him and the other was for Serena. He sprinkled a dash of Parmesan cheese on top of the mounds of noodles. He took one plate to the table.

Darien carried the other plate to Serena's room. It was an unused bedroom that originally was meant for guests. There was a medium-sized TV, a small nightstand, and a bed. There was also a dresser, but that was about it. One feature he thought Serena might like was a fan attached to the ceiling. There was a decent light structure as well, working air conditioning, and a modern wall color that looked good with the furniture.

He set the plate down slowly, searching Serena facial expressions and eyes for any sign of excess fear. There was no other fear than the one that had been in her all day. "Here you go." he whispered.

Serena glanced at the food, a sign she wanted it, but didn't take the food until she was sure Darien was gone. Then she got up, walked over to the food, picked up the fork that was already in the spaghetti, and started eating. It wasn't very long before she got done. The entire plate was cleaned of its contents. She huddled back into her corner, exhausted from the long day.

Darien came in an hour later to find Serena's plate empty, and to find Serena asleep on the floor, right next to the corner she'd been sitting in since everyone left. Surely that couldn't be comfortable... He picked up the plate and took it outside, then came back in. Serena was still sleeping. His plan was to lift her up and put her on the bed, but when he got within ten feet of her, her eyes snapped open. She screamed unintentionally and stood up, backing up to the wall as she did. Terror was written all over her face. She was breathing hard, as though she'd just ran ten miles. Darien turned back around, but told her he wasn't going to hurt her. Then he walked out of the room.

Serena didn't sleep again until about 3:00am. She dreamed that there was two dragons, one blue and one red. There was a dragon circling above her, a white one. It was the dragon scene from the dream she had earlier. This time, though, the dragons kept telling her she should trust them, and once again, the white dragon shielded her, say, "No! I'm not going through this again, Serena!"

**The next morning...**

Serena woke up to the sunlight shining through the curtains. She looked at the clock. It was 8:14am. Deciding she should stretch, now that she was pregnant, she got up and pressed her hands against her back. She heard a 'khek' and felt better immediately after. Then she stretched her arms and legs. She blinked a couple of times, and then she remembered where she was. Fear returned. She got out of her little corner.

Several locks were unlocked and Darien came in. The bed was still the way he'd left it; Serena had slept on the floor. He looked over at Serena, who scuttled back to the corner, as though to say, "I'm being good, see?" The fear was still in her eyes. She was a long ways away from getting over this whole thing. Darien didn't blame her, especially being as it wasn't her fault, but he hated the idea she had to get over _anything_.

But this poor girl didn't have just one thing to get over. She had lost her family in a car accident, she had to live with her boyfriend that abused her, and now she has to get over her fear of men. Though, not being scared of Andrew was a good start. But there was also a new problem at hand for her: Where was she going to live from now on? Surely she wouldn't want to stay here with _him. _So where would the homeless blonde go? Once she got out of this apartment, who would she turn to? Her friends, perhaps?

Thinking that acting as a friend may quell her fears, even a little would be fine, he said, "Hey, c'mon morning breath, we have to get some breakfast. You want some pancakes?"

Serena didn't respond. She didn't want to. She kept getting the feeling that the white dragon in her dreams was trying to tell her not to trust something, which were probably what the red and blue dragons stood for.

Darien tried getting her to talk, but acting friendly wasn't helping. He was doubtful about giving her a command. Seiya would always give her commands, and that was probably the only way she would do anything. He didn't want to relate himself to Seiya. The reason her friends brought her here was so she could start over. Acting like Seiya wouldn't help _squat_.

"Serena, I'm not like Seiya. I'm not going to tell you what to do unless it's important. You're safe with me. And if I start acting like Seiya, in any way at all, just tell me to stop and shut up, like you used to, okay? And I'll stop."

Serena still wouldn't bring herself to answer or reply unless absolutely necessary. She'd picked up on that not too long after being forced to live with Seiya. It was best just to shut up and deal with anything said to you. Most of the time, the pain was less severe if you stayed like that. That was how Serena thought of it all, anyway. Also, look away and be as submissive as possible! You may just get away with no beating! Never look your abuser directly in the eyes. It irritates them. Never say it hurts unless you're told to. Don't eat anything until you are told to eat. Don't do anything or go anywhere until given permission. Never ask questions or try to run.

These main rules came in very handy with Seiya. Now using them with Darien, she was unsure of how to act around him. Was she supposed to shut up, or did he want her to talk? She already knew to be submissive. Should she show respect by looking him in the eyes, or should she show respect by looking away? She already knew not to run. The door was kept locked! That obviously meant he didn't want her running away.

No matter which way she put it, Darien was a bit different. He never told her to eat, he just gave her food. He hadn't harmed her at all yet, but if he really wanted her to be happy, then he'd set her free. Ah, freedom... She still didn't have it, and probably never would get it. Seiya was chasing her down right now, as she knew. And she wasn't going to stay hidden for very long with Seiya roaming around, asking questions, and tracking her down. Nothing would stop him. He always got what he wanted. And what he wanted was her.

Sadly, and knowing there was no more hope, she couldn't help but think, 'I'm going to die.' Tears started streaming down her face as soon as Darien was gone. She knew good and well he could hurt her. He could kill her, just like Seiya. Why wasn't he hurting her yet? What did he have planned?

Darien was right outside the door, listening to Serena's almost inaudible cries. He hated seeing her like this. If Seiya hadn't come along, she'd be that same old bubbly Serena. Now she seemed like one of those stuffed animals you didn't wanna play with anymore so you threw it out. Actually, that described Serena so very well. She saw how muscular he was, and it had scared her. She stayed huddled against a wall all day and night, afraid to move for fear of his ability to harm her.

He knew he wasn't capable, in his heart, of hurting any girl physically. Yet this girl had had her very soul twisted and tortured. She'd been through it all: cooped up, abused, raped, pregnant, lost her family. It was no real shocker that she now harbored a deep distrust and hatred towards men. A man had hurt her in ways Darien couldn't ever know. She'd suffered day in and day out, and she'd endured it all with a smile on her face. She'd masked all that pain so well for too long. She refused to tell anyone for fear of another beating by Seiya. What more did she have to lose?

Oh! That's right! Serena's friends had left her a gift they thought would help her get over everything! Darien took out a small locket. It was heart-shaped, silver, and plain. He laid a hand on the doorknob.

Serena shot her head up and smothered the tears when she heard the knob move. It turned and allowed the door to open. Darien came through it.

"Serena?" he said softly. "I have a gift for you. Your friends left it here and wanted me to give it to you."

She did not answer. She hardly responded, feeling the need to protect herself. Adrenaline was rushing through her veins, making her alert and ready to do anything to survive. But she didn't look him in the eyes. She didn't speak. She didn't attract much attention to herself.

Darien took several swift steps toward her. He was about seven feet away now.

She flinched at the unexpected sudden movement, hoping she could just die now of a quick and painless heart attack. Her entire body tensed with another swift step and she soon felt a steady stream of chills going up and down her spine. It was a nightmare for her. Another swift step and she stood up, ready to face the pain she was sure would come.

Even though Darien had no intentions of hurting her, he knew he'd have to be more mindful when she stood up in fear. She was tense and alert, her eyes wide and still lifeless, watching his every move. His heart sank right at that moment. Maybe if he was really slow...

Serena watched, still tensed up, as Darien inched toward her. He was moving very slow, but she didn't buy it. Every twitch of a muscle, she saw. She was just that alert. She watched as he came closer to her than he had since she got here. She wanted him gone, and felt like punching him where he stood. However, she knew better. Her body had had just about all it could take! Plus, so overwhelmed by fear, she couldn't lift a finger. Serena felt like a deer caught in headlights.

Darien was extremely mindful and aware. He knew he might only make the situation worse by doing this, but he had to give her this locket. It would be so precious to her... It would come to mean so much to her... He was hardly getting anywhere, but if he went any faster, he was afraid the already-terrified blonde would pass out or suffer a heart attack. That would be the last thing he wanted.

Serena watched. She didn't make any movement to show that slowness was working. The entire sight was just pitiful. She knew it, but didn't care. Life was live or die to her.

Darien realized he wasn't going to be able to come any closer than he already was. He looked down, knowing there was only one way left to give her the locket. He clenched his fists. The locket was raised slightly into the air as it was tossed to the near-fainting blonde girl.

Serena let the locket fall. She couldn't move a single muscle in her whole body. Only for a second could she bring herself to just barely glace at the silver heart-shaped locket. She would not move until Darien was gone.

Then it hit him. A new way to help Serena get _used_ to him. Perhaps if she got used to him, then she wouldn't be nearly as wary as she was currently!


End file.
